Method for preparing novel anionic polymerization initiator and conjugate diene system copolymer using same

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are an anionic polymerization initiator, which is a reaction product of an organometallic compound and a compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by specific Chemical Formula, and a method of preparing a conjugated diene-based copolymer using the same.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. KR 10-2014-0168701, filed Nov. 18, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application.

The present invention relates to a novel anionic polymerization initiator system, and a method of preparing a conjugated diene-based copolymer using the same.

BACKGROUND ART

Currently, when a copolymer of a conjugated diene monomer and an aromatic vinyl monomer is prepared through typical anionic polymerization, organolithium is used as an anionic polymerization initiator.

In anionic polymerization, a polar solvent such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethylether is generally utilized to prevent aggregation of the initiator and to increase reactivity. For example, JP 2746053 B2 discloses a method of preparing poly(p-tert-butoxy-styrene) using sec-butyllithium as a polymerization initiator and a polymerization solvent comprising tetrahydrofuran. However, this preparation method is disadvantageous because additional equipment is required for the separation process for recovering n-hexane, attributable to the addition of the polar solvent.

Furthermore, butyllithium is problematic upon anionic polymerization because H in the main chain of the polymer is extracted due to high anionic reactivity, undesirably causing side reactions such as the production of branch structures.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An object of the present invention is to provide an anionic polymerization initiator, which may obviate additional mixing with a polar solvent when initiating anionic polymerization, or which may reduce the use of a polar additive, and a method of preparing a conjugated diene-based copolymer using the same as a monomer initiator for anionic polymerization.

Technical Solution

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an anionic polymerization initiator, which is a reaction product of an organometallic compound and a compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 below:

in Chemical Formula 1, R₁ to R₅ are hydrogen or a C1-C20 hydrocarbon group, two substituents are able to form a single aliphatic or aromatic ring, R₆ is a C1-C14 hydrocarbon group or a C5-C14 aromatic hydrocarbon group, and n is 0 to 12.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of preparing a conjugated diene-based copolymer using the anionic polymerization initiator.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present invention, the novel anionic polymerization initiator can reduce the additional use of a polar solvent because an oxygen atom-containing alkyl group, which is able to coordinate to the lithium cation, is chemically connected to the structure of the initiator.

According to the present invention, the novel anionic polymerization initiator can inhibit side reactions by using a bulky benzyl anion having relatively low reactivity.

According to the present invention, the problems attributable to the mixing with a polar solvent in typical anionic polymerization can be overcome, and high activity can be expected thanks to the high ability of the initiator to dissociate in a non-polar solvent.

According to the present invention, the problems with a solvent separation process, attributable to the mixing with a polar solvent having an ether structure such as tetrahydrofuran or dimethylether, can be solved.

Recently, as silica is used as an environmentally friendly tire reinforcing agent, rubber modification, in which a polar functional group having an affinity for silica is introduced to the conjugated diene-based rubber to efficiently disperse silica, is receiving attention, and thus, the conjugated diene-based rubber using the oxygen atom-containing initiator according to the present invention can be deemed to increase the dispersibility of the silica reinforcing agent.

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of the present invention.

The present invention addresses an anionic polymerization initiator, produced by reacting an organometallic compound with a compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 below:

in Chemical Formula 1, R₁ to R₅ are hydrogen or a C1-C20 hydrocarbon group, two substituents are able to form a single aliphatic or aromatic ring, R₆ is a C1-C14 hydrocarbon group or a C5-C14 aromatic hydrocarbon group, and n is 0 to 12.

The compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 is an organic compound having an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group.

The compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 may be, for example, 1-(methoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene or 1-(t-butoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene.

The compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 may be alkoxyalkylbenzene synthesized by adding bromoalkylbenzene with an alkoxide, as illustrated in Scheme 1 below. Then, the compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 is reacted with an organolithium compound such as n-butyllithium, whereby a highly pure initiator is prepared even without additional purification.

The organometallic compound may be exemplified by an organo-alkali metal compound, or may include at least one selected from the group consisting of an organolithium compound, an organosodium compound, an organopotassium compound, an organorubidium compound, and an organocesium compound.

For example, the organometallic compound may include at least one selected from the group consisting of organolithium, including methyllithium, ethyllithium, isopropyllithium, n-butyllithium, sec-butyllithium, tert-butyllithium, n-decyllithium, tert-octyllithium, phenyllithium, 1-naphthyllithium, n-eicosyllithium, 4-butylphenyllithium, 4-tolyllithium, cyclohexyllithium, 3,5-di-n-heptylcyclohexyllithium, and 4-cyclopentyllithium. Preferably, the organometallic compound is alkyl lithium, such as n-butyllithium, sec-butyllithium or a mixture thereof.

Alternatively, the organometallic compound may include at least one selected from the group consisting of naphthyl sodium, naphthyl potassium, lithium alkoxide, sodium alkoxide, potassium alkoxide, lithium sulfonate, sodium sulfonate, potassium sulfonate, lithium amide, sodium amide, and potassium amide, and may be used in combination with an additional organometallic compound.

According to the present invention, the anionic polymerization initiator obviates the addition of a polar solvent upon anionic polymerization because an ether group is chemically connected to the structure of the initiator, and thus the additional use of a polar solvent may be reduced. Furthermore, since the ether group is chemically connected to the structure of the initiator, high activity may be expected due to the high ability to dissociate in a non-polar solvent such as n-hexane.

In addition, the present invention addresses a method of preparing a conjugated diene-based polymer using the anionic polymerization initiator.

More particularly, the method of preparing the conjugated diene-based polymer according to the present invention comprises polymerizing a conjugated diene monomer or a conjugated diene monomer and an aromatic vinyl monomer in the presence of a solvent using an anionic polymerization initiator, which is a reaction product of an organometallic compound and a compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 below:

in Chemical Formula 1, R₁ to R₅ are hydrogen or a C1-C20 hydrocarbon group, two substituents are able to form a single aliphatic or aromatic ring, R₆ is a C1-C14 hydrocarbon group or a C5-C14 aromatic hydrocarbon group, and n is 0 to 12.

The conjugated diene monomer may include at least one selected from the group consisting of 1,3 -butadiene, 2,3 -dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, piperylene, 3 -butyl-1,3-octadiene, isoprene, and 2-phenyl-1,3-butadiene.

The aromatic vinyl monomer may include at least one selected from the group consisting of styrene, α-methylstyrene, 3-methylstyrene, 4-methylstyrene, 4-propylstyrene, 1-vinylnaphthalene, 4-cyclohexylstyrene, 4-(p-methylphenyl)styrene, and 1-vinyl-5-hexylnaphthalene. Particularly useful is styrene or α-methylstyrene.

The solvent is not particularly limited, so long as it may be applied in the polymerization or copolymerization of the conjugated diene monomer, and may be exemplified by a hydrocarbon, or may include at least one selected from the group consisting of n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, isooctane, cyclohexane, toluene, benzene, and xylene.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the reaction product of the organometallic compound and the compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 may be used in an amount of 0.01 to 10 mmol, 0.05 to 5 mmol, 0.1 to 2 mmol, or 0.1 to 1 mmol, based on 100 g in total of the monomer. When the amount of the reaction product of the organometallic compound and the compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 falls in the above range, an optimal polymer may be obtained.

In the method of preparing the polymer according to an embodiment of the present invention, the polymerization may be performed with the additional use of a polar additive. The reason why the polar additive is further added is that the reaction rates of the conjugated diene monomer and the aromatic vinyl monomer are controlled by the polar additive.

The polar additive may be a base, or may include ether, amine or mixtures thereof. Specifically, it may be selected from the group consisting of tetrahydrofuran, ditetrahydrofurylpropane, diethylether, cycloamylether, dipropylether, ethylenedimethylether, ethylenedimethylether, diethyleneglycol, dimethylether, tert-butoxyethoxyethane bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)ether, (dimethylaminoethyl)ethylether, trimethylamine, triethylamine, tripropylamine, and tetramethylethylenediamine, and is preferably ditetrahydropropylpropane, triethylamine, or tetramethylethylenediamine.

The polar additive may be used in an amount of 0.001 to 50 g, 0.001 to 10 g, 0.005 to 1 g, or 0.005 to 0.1 g, based on 100 g in total of the added monomer.

The polar additive may be used in an amount of 0.001 to 10 g, 0.005 to 1 g, or 0.005 to 0.1 g, based on 1 mmol in total of the added reaction product of the organometallic compound and the compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1.

When the conjugated diene monomer and the aromatic vinyl monomer are copolymerized, a block copolymer may be readily prepared due to the difference in the reaction rates therebetween. However, when the polar additive is added, the low reaction rate of the aromatic vinyl monomer may be increased to thus obtain the microstructure of the corresponding copolymer, for example, a random copolymer.

The polymerization may be exemplified by anionic polymerization. Specifically, the polymerization may be living anionic polymerization in which an active end is obtained through a growth reaction involving anions.

Also, the polymerization may be either high-temperature polymerization or room-temperature polymerization.

High-temperature polymerization is a polymerization process that comprises adding the reaction product of the organometallic compound and the compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 and then applying heat to increase the reaction temperature, and room-temperature polymerization is a polymerization process that takes place in such a way that heat is not applied after the reaction product of the organometallic compound and the compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 is added.

The polymerization temperature may be set to −20 to 200° C., 0 to 150° C., or 10 to 120° C.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the method of preparing the conjugated diene-based polymer may be carried out in a batch manner, or alternatively in a continuous manner using at least one reactor.

In addition, the present invention addresses a conjugated diene-based polymer prepared by the above method.

The conjugated diene-based polymer has a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 1,000 to 2,000,000 g/mol, preferably 10,000 to 1,000,000 g/mol, and more preferably 100,000 to 1,000,000 g/mol. When the number average molecular weight of the conjugated diene-based polymer falls in the above range, the modification reaction may efficiently occur, and desired properties may be obtained.

The conjugated diene-based polymer has a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn, MWD) of 1 to 10, preferably 1 to 5, and more preferably 1 to 4. When the molecular weight distribution of the conjugated diene-based polymer falls in the above range, mixing with inorganic particles may be efficiently carried out, thus ensuring desired properties and remarkably increasing processability.

The conjugated diene-based polymer has a vinyl content of 10 wt % or more, preferably 15 wt % or more, and more preferably 20 to 70 wt %.

The vinyl content refers to the amount of a monomer having a vinyl group, or the amount not of 1,4-added conjugated diene monomer but of 1,2-added conjugated diene monomer, based on 100 wt % of the conjugated diene monomer.

When the vinyl content of the conjugated diene-based polymer falls in the above range, the glass transition temperature of the polymer may be elevated. Thus, when such a polymer is applied to tires, the properties required of tires, such as running resistance and wet grip, may be satisfied, and superior fuel economy may result.

MODE FOR INVENTION

A better understanding of the present invention may be obtained via the following examples. However, examples of the present invention may be changed in various forms, and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.

SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 1

First Step: Preparation of 1-(methoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene

1-(bromomethyl)-2-methylbenzene (0.5 g, 2 7 mmol) was dissolved in 10 mL of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran in a 50 mL Schlenk flask, and 3 equivalents of sodium methoxide (0.44 g, 8.1 mmol) was added, followed by stirring at room temperature for 14 hr in a nitrogen atmosphere. After the reaction, 20 mL of distilled water was added and the resulting product was extracted with ethyl acetate (20 mL×3). Thereafter, the organic lay was dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and the solid was removed using a glass filter. The organic solvent was removed under reduced pressure, yielding 87% (0.32 g) of 1-(methoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene as colorless oil:

¹H-NMR (500 MHz, solvent CDCl₃): δ 7.34-7.30 (m, 1H), 7.21-7.15 (m, 3H), 4.47 (s, 2H), 3.41 (s, 3H), 2.34 (s, 3H);

¹³C NMR (125 MHz, solvent CDCl₃): δ 136.6, 136.1, 130.2, 128.5, 127.8, 125.8, 73.1, 58.2, 18.7.

Second Step: Preparation of lithium 1-(methoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene initiator

The 1-(methoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene was placed in a 50 mL storage flask, and 10 mL of anhydrous n-hexane was added in a nitrogen atmosphere, after which the resulting solution was cooled to −78° C., and 2.5 M n-butyllithium was added dropwise, followed by stirring while the temperature was maintained for 1 hr. Then, the cooling bath was removed, and stirring was performed at room temperature for 2 hr, yielding a pale yellow solution as an initiator.

SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 2

First Step: Preparation of 1-(t-butoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene

94% (0.45 g) of 1-(t-butoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene was obtained as colorless oil in the same manner as in the First Step of Synthesis Example 1, with the exception that 3 equivalents of potassium tert-butoxide (0.91 g, 8 1 mmol) were used in lieu of sodium methoxide:

¹H-NMR (500 MHz, solvent CDCl₃): δ 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 7.15-7.11 (m, 3H), 4.43 (s, 2H), δ 2.34 (s, 3H), 1.31 (s, 9H);

¹³C NMR (125 MHz, solvent CDCl₃): δ 137.6, 136.2, 130.0, 128.3, 127.3, 125.9, 73.29, 62.3, 27.6, 18.8.

Second Step: Preparation of lithium 1-(t-butoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene initiator

A pale yellow solution initiator was prepared in the same manner as in the Second Step of Synthesis Example 1, with the exception that 1-(t-butoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene was used as the reactant.

EXAMPLE 1

6 g of styrene and 300 g of anhydrous n-hexane were added into a 2 L stainless steel reactor and heated with stirring so that the temperature inside the reactor was adjusted to 50° C. When the temperature reached 50° C., the initiator (1.0 mmol based on lithium) of Synthesis Example 1 was added into the reactor, followed by an adiabatic heating reaction. After the reaction for 10 min, the reaction was terminated by the addition of 100 g of methanol into the reactor. The results of analysis of the polymer are shown in Table 1 below.

EXAMPLE 2

A polymer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, with the exception that butadiene (7.5 g), in lieu of styrene, and n-hexane (42.5 g) were used. The results of analysis of the polymer are shown in Table 1 below.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

A polymerization reaction was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, with the exception that a 2.5 M n-butyllithium hexane solution (0.4 mL, 1 0 mmol) was used as the initiator. After the reaction for 10 min, the reaction was terminated by the addition of 100 g of methanol into the reactor. The results of analysis of the polymer are shown in Table 1 below.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

A polymerization reaction was carried out in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, with the exception that butadiene (7.5 g), in lieu of styrene, and n-hexane (42.5 g) were used. The results of analysis of the polymer are shown in Table 1 below.

<Molecular average molecular weight (Mw), Number average molecular weight (Mn), and Molecular weight distribution (MWD)>

The polymers of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were analyzed through GPC at 40° C. The column herein used was a combination of two PLgel Olexis columns and one PLgel mixed-C column, made by Polymer Laboratories, and all of the replaced columns were mixed bed-type columns. Also, polystyrene (PS) was the GPC standard material for the calculation of molecular weight.

TABLE 1 Butadiene Yield GPC (×10³) Initiator Styrene (g) (g) (%) Mn MWD Ex. 1 Synthesis 6 — 90.5 12.3 1.14 Example 1 Ex. 2 Synthesis — 7.5 81.9 29.1 1.11 Example 1 C. Ex. 1 n-BuLi 6 — 83.7 12.2 1.10 C. Ex. 2 n-BuLi — 7.5 75.1 17.5 1.09

In the styrene polymerization of Example 1 using the initiator of Synthesis Example 1 under the same conditions, higher yield than that of Comparative Example 1 was obtained. In the butadiene polymerization of Example 2 using the initiator of Synthesis Example 1 under the same conditions, higher yield and molecular weight than those of Comparative Example 2 were obtained. 

1. An anionic polymerization initiator, which is a reaction product of an organometallic compound and a compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 below:

in Chemical Formula 1, R₁ to R₅ are hydrogen or a C1-C20 hydrocarbon group, and two substituents are able to form a single aliphatic or aromatic ring; R₆ is a C1-C14 hydrocarbon group or a C5-C14 aromatic hydrocarbon group; and n is 0 to
 12. 2. The anionic polymerization initiator of claim 1, wherein the compound represented by Chemical Formula 1 is 1-(methoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene or 1-(t-butoxymethyl)-2-methylbenzene.
 3. The anionic polymerization initiator of claim 1, wherein the organometallic compound is alkyl lithium.
 4. A method of preparing a conjugated diene-based polymer, comprising polymerizing a conjugated diene monomer or a conjugated diene monomer and an aromatic vinyl monomer in presence of a solvent using an anionic polymerization initiator, which is a reaction product of an organometallic compound and a compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 below:

in Chemical Formula 1, R₁ to R₅ are hydrogen or a C1-C20 hydrocarbon group, and two substituents are able to form a single aliphatic or aromatic ring; R₆ is a C1-C14 hydrocarbon group or a C5-C14 aromatic hydrocarbon group; and n is 0 to
 12. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the reaction product of the organometallic compound and the compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula 1 is used in an amount of 0.01 to 10 mmol based on 100 g in total of the monomer.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the polymerizing is performed with additional use of a polar additive.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the polar additive is added in an amount of 0.001 to 10 g based on 1 mmol in total of the reaction product of the organometallic compound and the compound including an etheric oxygen atom-containing alkyl group represented by Chemical Formula
 1. 8. A conjugated diene-based polymer, prepared by the method of claims
 4. 9. A conjugated diene-based polymer, prepared by the method of claim
 5. 10. A conjugated diene-based polymer, prepared by the method of claim
 6. 11. A conjugated diene-based polymer, prepared by the method of claim
 7. 